Monday, April 30, 1990

Adventures Unlimited


Back in the day, a partnership with Adventures Unlimited and SSS had us doing sales and programs that were far ahead of what Amazon was doing.

Adventures Unlimited was a sports and travel bookstore in Long Beach. We placed a Macintosh computer on the sales counter there and had sales calls, mail-order letters, inventory, and other functions go straight there.

Monday, April 02, 1990

Letter to The White House and First Lady, Barbara Bush

Mark Rauterkus
Sports Support Syndicate
1555 Sherman Ave. Suite 1650
Evanston, IL 60201
708-864-5089

April 2, 1990

The Office of the First Lady
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC

Dear Mrs. Bush,

We are planning on publishing a (not-for-profit) comic book that deals
directly with Family Literacy and Swimming, two of your interests. We
would like your help.

My company is working with the nonprofit, literacy group, Cartoonists
Across America, (Phil Yeh and Mary Beth Roberts). Phil is illustrating the
book using their slogan, “Read! Exercise Your Mind!" and the character,
Patrick Rabbit, the Greatest Athlete in the Universe.

Could you write a short introduction for the book? 

We want to put your words and photo on the book’s inside front cover. Enclosed is a copy of
the story line for your review, and I’m enclosing a recent edition of one of
Phil Yeh’s other books with Patrick Rabbit.

The book’s introduction will be at the Swim Coaches World Clinic in
Washington D.C. from September 5 to 8, 1990. Could you plan to attend the
clinic for an hour so we can hold a brief autograph session? We would like
some of the coaches to get autographed copies of the book.

One thousand swim coaches from around the USA and a hundred or
so from other countries attend the ASCA World Clinic each year. We will
give every coach at the clinic 50 free copies of this book. The coaches will
distribute the books in their communities to promote literacy and swimming.
The book is intended for children (age 6-12) and their parents. The
comic book format is ideal for new readers. The book’s story will entertain
and teach how to join a swim team, swimming jargon, and conquering the
personal fear of getting started in a strange activity.


Sincerely yours,
Mark Rauterkus